Well-drilling machine



(No Model.) I a Sheets-Sheet 1. P. P. MARSH.

WELL DRILLING MACHINE. No. 592,155. Patented Oct. 19,1897.

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P. P. MARSH. WELL DRILLING MACHINE.

No. 592,155. Patented Oct. 19 1897 umo" wasummou o c (No Model.) 3 Sheets- Sheet 3. I

P. P. MARSH.

WELL DRILLING MACHINE. No. 592,155 Patented Oct. 19, 1897. I

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rnnssLur P. MARS or souTH GREENFIELD, MISSOURI.

WELL-DRILLINGMACHINE.

SPECIFICATTON forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,155, dated October 19, 1897.

Application 5.19.1 December 23,1896. SerialNo. 616,756. (it. model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PRESSLEY P. MARSH, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Greenfield, in the county of Dade and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful -Well-Drilling Machine, of which the follow ing is a specification. 7

My invention relates to welLdrilling apparatus, and has for its object to provide means for communicating an oscillatory or twisting movement alternately in opposite directions to the drill-rope, to impart a corresponding movement to thetools, whereby irregularities in the densities of strata through which the tools pass may be prevented from deflecting the spudding-vtools and enabling a straight hole to be drilled to provide means for'automatically reversing the direction of rotation or oscillation of the devices whereby motion is communicated to' the drill-rope, and, furthermore, to provide improved means for controlling the feed of the drill-rope.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a drilling apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View, partly in section, through the slidebox. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section to show the means for shifting the slide. Fig. 4 is a detail view of themeans for preventing the unreeling of the drill-rope from the drum.

or bull-wheel. Pig. 5 is adetail view in per spective of the mechanism for automatically feeding or paying out the drill-rope. Fig.

6 is a detail vertical section of the oscillatory rope-guide. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the ropeguide, detached. Fig. 8 is a similar view, of Fig. 9

is a view of therope-slide, detached. Fig. 10

'is a detail transverse section of the same.

Fig. '11 is a detail view of the meansfor communicating motion from the drive-shaft to the counter-shaft. Fig. 12 is ajdetail view of the means for communicating motion to the trip. Fig. 13 is a detail view of the means for adjusting the throw of the feed-pawl.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings. 1

Arranged at one end of the supporting frame 1 is a derrick-post 2, provided at its upper end with a guide-pulley 3 for the drillrope 4, which supports the tools 5. Th'e other end of the drill-rope is attached to and reeled upon a drum or bull-wheel 6, and passes at an intermediate point arounda spudding-pulley '7, carried by a spudding-lever 8. v

The drum carries a gear 9, with which meshes a pinion 10 on a feed-shaft 11, a ratchet .12 being arranged contiguous to and preferably rigid with said pinion, and being adapted to be engaged to prevent the feeding or paying out of the drill-rope, by means of a pawl 13. Any suitable means may be provided for holding this pawl out of engagement with the ratehet-whel-such as a supporting-button 14, adapted to be arranged at its extremity in'the path of the pawl.

The feed-shaft 11 carries a worm-gear 15, arranged in engagement with a worm 16, the worm-spindle 17 carrying a feed-ratchet 18, with which meshes a feed-pawl 19, and this feed-pawl is carried by a swingingarmZO, connected terminally to, a pitman 21, which extends downwardly to the rocker-shaft 22, forming a part of the spudding-lever. In order to vary the throw of the feed-pawl, and thus vary the amount of movement of the drum in paying out the drill-rope to suit the density of the soil through which the tools are drilling, said pitman is connected to an adjustable pivot-plate 23 on said rocker, said plate being slotted and held at the desired. adjustment, or with the contiguous end of the pitman at the desired distance from the axis of the rocker, by means of a set-screw.

The spudding-lever receives motion from a spudding-cam 24, which is of bifurcated construction, with an antifriction-roll 25 at its extremity to contact with the. upper side of the lever, said cam being carried by a shaft 26, provided with an operating 5 pulley or sprocket-wheel 27, adapted toreceive power from a suitable engine-or operating mechanism. (Not illustrated.) .The cam-shaftalso carries a cone-pulley or sprocket-wheel 28, which is connected by means of a, chain or belt 29 with a similar reversed cone-pulley or sprocket-wheel 30, arranged on the countershaft 31, said counter-shaft also carrying spaced reversely-disposed bevel-pinions 32 and Arranged in connection with the drill-rope is a tubular guide 34, mounted for rotary or rocking movement in registering upper and lower bearings 35 and 36, said guide being provided at diametrically opposite points with longitudinal grooves 37 for the reception of parallel rods forming the sides of a slide 38, attached to the drill-rope and adapted to reciprocate in the grooves. Secured to the guide,

between the planes of the journal-boxes 39 and -10, in which said upper and lower bearings are formed, is a pulley 0r sprocket Wheel 41, traversed by a belt or chain 42, which extends around a pulley or chain wheel 43 on the upper extremity of an upright rock-shaft 44, said rock-shaft carrying a bevel-gear 45, with which meshes a pinion 4C6 on the contiguous extremity of a reversible shaft 47, said reversible shaft carrying a gear t8, adapted to mesh with either of the bevel-pinions of said counter-shaft, and being disposed between the planes thereof.

The slide, which is carried by the drill-rope to fit in. the guide, is provided with terminal clamps 40, adapted to engage and hold the drill-rope in contact with upper and lower curved seats 50, formed in the ends of the slide-frame, said clamp-plates being provided at opposite ends, respectively, with closed and open-sided perforations 51 and 52, engaged by bolts 52 to facilitate the changing of the adjustment of the slide upon the drill-rope as the latter is fed through the guide. The slide is preferably made of such a length as to al low the drill-rope to be paid out a distance of two or three feet or more for each adjustment.

The mechanism as above described is de signed to impart to the drill-rope guide an oscillatory movement, or a rotary movement alternately in opposite directions, in order, through the medium of the slide, to impart a similar movement to the drill-rope, and hence the drill-tools, in orderto insure the drilling of a straight hole, and, in order to accomplish this alternately opposite rotary movement of the rope-guide, it is necessary to reverse the rotation of the reversible shaftwhich receives motion from the counter-shaft 31. In the construction illustrated this reversal of the movement of said reversible shaft is accomplished by means of a slide 5-1, mounted for movement transverse to the axis of said shaft in a slide-box 55, supported by the main frame. Connected to this slide is a lever 56, preferably of the bell-crank type, as shown, and this bell-crank lever receives motion from an operating-lever 57 of the first order fulcrumed upon the slide-box. Operating in connection with the above mechanism is a crank-wheel 58, carried by a shaft 59, which is connected with the main or operating shaft 26 by means of a worm 60 and a worm-gear 01. Said crank-wheel carries a wrist-pin 62,

operating in a slot'63 in the pitman 64, which is connected to the short arm of the operating-lever 57, said wrist-pin being adapted to contact with opposite ends of the slot at intervals and thereby reverse the position of the operating-lever 57, and hence, through the bell-crank lever, of the slide. This slide is provided with a bearing in which is mounted the contiguous end of the reversible shaft, and in one position of the slide the gear carried by the adjacent end of the reversible shaft is in mesh with one of the pinions on the counter-shaft, and when said slide is in the other position said gear is in mesh with the twin pinion on the counter-shaft. Hence when the slide is in one position the reversible shaft receives rotary motion from the counter-shaft in one direction, while the opposite adjustment of the slide causes rotary motion of said reversible shaft in the opposite direction.

In order to insure the maintenance by the slide of either of its adjusted positions during the time that the wrist-pin of the crankwheel is traversing the length of the slot in the pitman, I employ a locking device (55, having a pin or bolt 66 arranged in an opening in the upper side of the slide-box and adapted to engage either of a pair of spaced sockets 67 and 68 in the slide, according to the position of the latter, and also having a trip-rod 59, which is arranged in the path of a pivotal triparm 70, disposed contiguous to the plane of the erankwheel. The free end of this trip-arm is disposed in the path of diametrically opposite trip-pins on the crank-wheel, and as the latter rotates said pins are brought successively into cont-act with the trip to actuate the trip-rod and thus withdraw the locking pin or stud from engagement with the socket in which it has been seated.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that during the spuddin g operation the rope-guide is turned alternately in opposite directions during a given number of revolutions depending upon the portions of the conepulleys or sprocket-wheels traversed by the belt or chain 29, this oscillatory movement of the drill-rope not interfering with the reciprocation thereof through the guide produced by the spudding mechanism.

In order to facilitate the mounting and dismounting of the rope-guide, the journalblocks 39 and 40 are provided with bails 73, upon which are mounted cam-locks 74, said bails being provided at the extremities of their arms with hooks to engage transverse pins or bolts 76, which intersect kerfs 77 in the journal-blocks. Furthermore, the outer sides of the bearings in said journal-blocks are cut away, as shown at 78, to admit the drill-rope and allow the bearings to be arranged in alinement with the extremities of the guide. Furthermore, in order to allow the feed-shaft 11 to be disconnected from the feed mechanism during the manual adjustment of the drill-rope, I mount the worm-gear to slide upon the feed-shaft, and employ in connection therewith a bifurcated shiftingblock 79, to which is connected an operating rod 'or stem 80, which is fitted to slide in guides 81 on the supporting-frame. By means of this rod or stem the gear maybe moved out of engagement with the worm 16 to a position contiguous to the adjacent upright of the frame.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination of a rotatable drill-rope guide, a slide provided with meansfor attachment to a drillrope, and mounted for reciprocatory and held from independent rotary movement in said guide, and means for communicating positive oscillatory movement, or rotary movement alternately in opposite directions, to the guide, saidmeans including a rock-shaft permanently connected by gearing with the guide, oppositely-rotated continuously-operating gears, and means for communicating motion from said gears, alternately, to the rock-shaft, substantially as specified.

2; In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination of a rotatable guide, a slid-e provided with means for attachment to a drill-rope, and mounted for reciprocatory and held from independent rotarymovement in said guide, and means for communicating oscillatcvy movement, or rotary movement alternately in opposite directions, to said guide, said means including a rock-shaft and operating devices, and a chain traversing and permanently connecting chain-wheels carried re spectively by the guide-and rock-shaft, substantially as specified.

3. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination of a tubular rotatable guide having alined trunnions and an intermediate gear,

spaced bearing-blocks of which one is removable, meansfor securing the removable bearing-block in operative relation with the other,

a slide provided with means for attachment to the drill-rope and mountedfor reciprocatory and held from independent rotary movement in said guide, a rock-shaft and means for actuating the same, and operating connections between the rock-shaft and the gear of the guide, substantially as specified.

'4. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination with a rotatable guide and means for communicating motion thereto, of a slide having parallel sides adapted to fit in opposite grooves of the guide, and also having its ends provided with alined rope-seats, terminal pivotal clamps mounted upon the ends of the slide to close said rope-seats, and means for securing the clamps in operative relation with the rope-seats, the slides being adapted to be introduced longitudinally into the guide, substantially as specified.

5. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combidependent rotary movement of said rope, up-

per and lower bearing-blocks in which the extremities of said guide are fitted, swinging bails connected to the journal-blocks, cams mounted upon the bails for'engagement with a derrick-post to secure the bearing-blocks in their operative positions, and means for communicating rotary movement to the ropeguide, substantially as specified. I

6. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination with a rotary rope-guide through which a drill-rope is adapted to extend, and'connections between said guide and a drill-rope whereby the latter is allowed reciprocatory and held from independent rotary movement,

and means for communicating rotary movementv alternately in opposite directions to the rope-guide,'said means including a reversible shaft, connections between said shaft and the rope-guide, a counter-shaft having oppositelydisposed pinions adapted to alternately engage a gear on said reversible shaft, and opcrating devices for the counter-shaft, substantially as specified.

'7. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination with a rotary rope-guide through which a drill-rope is adapted-to extend, and connections between the rope-guide and the drill.-

rope whereby the latter is'allowed reciprocatory and held from independent rotary movement, a reversible shaft operatively connected with the rope-guide, a slide having one end of the reversible shaft. mounted therein and versely-movable extremity of the reversible shaft, and means for communicating continuous rotary movement in a uniform direction to the counter-shaft, substantially as specified.

8. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination with a rotary rope-guide, and connections between the rope-guide and the drill.- rope whereby the latter is allowed reciprocatory and held from independent rotary movement, a reversible shaft operatively connected with said rope-guide, a counter-shaft having twin oppositely-disposed pinions for alternate engagement with a gear on the contiguous extremity of said reversible shaft, a slide adapted for reciprocatory movement to cause the alternate engagement of said pinions with the gear on the reversible shaft, a crankwheel having a wrist-pin, an operating-lever connected with said slide, a pitman having a slot in which the wrist=pin of said crank-wheel operates, to alternately shift the operating lever, and means for communicating continuous rotary motion to the crank-wheel and counter-shaft, substantially as specified.

9. 111 a well-drilling apparatus, the combination with a rotary rope-guide, and connections between the rope-guide and the drillrope whereby the latter is allowed reciprocatory and held from independent rotary movement,a reversible shaft operatively connected with said rope-guide, a counter-shaft having twin oppositely-disposed pinions for alternate engagement with a gear on the contiguous extremity of said. reversible shaft, a slide adapted for reciprocatory movement to cause the alternate engagement of the said pinions with the gear on the reversible shaft, a crankwheel operatively connected with the slide to shift the latter at intervals from one limit of its movement to the other, a locking device including a pin or stud adapted to engage and hold the slide in its operative positions, trip mechanism operatively connected with said crank-wheel for releasing the slide at intervals, and means for communicating rotary movement to the crank-wheel and countershaft, substantially as specified.

10. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination with a rotary rope-guide, and'connections between the rope-guide and the drillrope whereby the latter is allowed reciprocatory and held from independent rotary movement,a reversible shaft operatively connected with said rope-guide, a counter-shaft having twin oppositely-disposed pinions for alternate engagement with a gear on the contiguous extremity of said reversible shaft, a slide adapted for reciprocatory movement to cause the alternate engagement of said pinions with the gear on the reversible shaft, a crankwheel, connections between the crank-wheel and the slide for shifting the latter at intervals to opposite limits of its movement, a look ing device having a pin or stud to engage the slide at the limits of its movement, a trip-rod connected to the pin or stud, a trip-arm arranged in the path of the trip-pin on said crank-wheel, the extremity of the trip-rod being arranged in the path of said trip, and means for communicating rotary motion to the counter-shaft and crank-wheel, substantially as specified.

11. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination with a rotary rope-guide of tubular construction, a drill-rope extending through said guide, and a slide attached to the drillrope and mounted for reciprocation in the guide, a spudding-lever carrying a spuddingpulley traversed by said drill-rope, a reversible shaft operatively connected with said rope-guide, a driving-shaft carrying a cam for engagement with the spudding-lever, a counter-shaft having twin oppositely-disposed pinions for alternately engaging and communicating rotary movement in opposite directions to a gear on said reversible shaft, cone -pulleys arranged respectively on the counter and main shafts and traversed by a belt, and means connected with the main shaft for causing the alternate engagement of said pinions with the gear on the reversible shaft, substantially as specified.

12. In a Well-drillin g apparatus, the combination with a spudding-lever, a drum fora drill-rope, a feed-shaft operativcly connected with the drum, a worm meshing with a wormgear on the feed-shaft, a ratchet-wheel fixed to the spindle of the worm, a pawl for engagement with the ratchet-wheel, a slotted pivotplate carried by the spudding-lever contiguous to its fulcrum, a set-screw for securing said plate at the desired adjustment, and a pitman connecting the plate with the pawl, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PRESSLEY I. MARSH.

Witnesses:

E. B. DOUGHTREY, C. M. ScAeGs. 

